From catch to plate through a smartphone

Published 04/04/2014

In recent decades, consumers have become more conscious of what they eat. They want more healthy, more varied food and knowledge about the products they about. What does the food contains, how fresh is it and where it comes from?

Within the seafood industry these issues certainly applies. Consumer studies have shown that people who regularly buy seafood often mistrust the information associated with the products. This have so far been one of the key outcomes in the on-going WhiteFish Marine Living Lab Project “WhiteFishMaLL financed by Nordic Innovation. The main goal of the project was to build a branding platform for whitefish from the North Atlantic that facilitates market differentiation in terms of sustainable production and superior consumer benefits.

-We wanted user involvement from the start of the project and held direct interviews, focus group sessions and workshops. This gave us an immediate indication that the consumer want more facts on the product they are buying, says Valur N. Gunnlaugsson, a project member from Matis.

As a result of these findings the project participants started working on a solution which will enable consumers to access extensive information through their smart phones and eventually helping them to make a purchasing decision.

Through QR-codes placed on the on the package the costumer can easily access information about where and when the fish was caught, by whom and with what method. It also gives the information about the fish’s nutritional level and gives the buyer recommended recipes related to the product.

Interest from the industry

Gunnlagsson presented the project during the MarLife’s Marine Innovation Day in Bergen recently and was approached from several actor within the seafood industry.

- The technology is quite simple and there are certainly interest, but we have not yet decided to go through with the system, Gunnlaugsson explains.

The next step

The next step in the project will be to test the solution. The project has developed a pilot on for data gathering and displaying of requested information. During the spring, the pilot will be tested at a well-known fish and chips restaurant chain in Great Britain.

About WhiteFishMaLL

The WhiteFish Marine Living Lab Project is one of 14 projects in The Nordic Marine Innvation Program initiated by Nordic Innovation

The projects lifeline is from January 2012 – January 2015

Partners:

Matís, Iceland

Syntesa, Faroe Island

Nofima, Norway

FISK Seafood, Iceland

Framherji, Faroe Island

Ocean Choices International, Canada

Vísir, Iceland

Fisheries Council of Canada

Norway Seafoods Group, Norway

Within the seafood industry these issues certainly applies. Consumer studies have shown that people who regularly buy seafood often mistrust the information associated with the products. This have so far been one of the key outcomes in the on-going WhiteFish Marine Living Lab Project “WhiteFishMaLL financed by Nordic Innovation. The main goal of the project was to build a branding platform for whitefish from the North Atlantic that facilitates market differentiation in terms of sustainable production and superior consumer benefits.

-We wanted user involvement from the start of the project and held direct interviews, focus group sessions and workshops. This gave us an immediate indication that the consumer want more facts on the product they are buying, says Valur N. Gunnlaugsson, a project member from Matis.

As a result of these findings the project participants started working on a solution which will enable consumers to access extensive information through their smart phones and eventually helping them to make a purchasing decision.

Through QR-codes placed on the on the package the costumer caneasily access information about where and when the fish was caught, by whom and with what method. It also gives the information about the fish’s nutritional level and gives the buyer recommended recipes related to the product.

Interest from the industry

Gunnlagsson presented the project during the MarLife’s Marine Innovation Day in Bergen recently and was approached from several actor within the seafood industry.

- The technology is quite simple and there are certainly interest, but we have not yet decided to go through with the system, Gunnlaugsson explains.

The next step

The next step in the project will be to test the solution. The project has developed a pilot on for data gathering and displaying of requested information. During the spring, the pilot will be tested at a well-known fish and chips restaurant chain in Great Britain.